Reticle carrier and associated methods

Abstract

A reticle carrier described herein is configured to quickly discharge the residual charge on a reticle so as to reduce, minimize, and/or prevent particles in the reticle carrier from being attracted to and/or transferred to the reticle. In particular, the reticle carrier may be configured to provide reduced capacitance between an inner baseplate of the reticle carrier and the reticle. The reduction in capacitance may reduce the resistance-capacitance (RC) time constant for discharging the residual charge on the reticle, which may increase the discharge speed for discharging the residual charge through support pins of the reticle carrier. The increase in discharge speed may reduce the likelihood that an electrostatic force in the reticle carrier may attract particles in the reticle carrier to the reticle. This may reduce pattern defects transferred to substrates that are patterned using the reticle, may increase semiconductor device manufacturing quality and yield, and may reduce scrap and rework of semiconductor devices and/or wafers.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 positioning a reticle on a plurality of support pins that reside directly on a plurality of alignment windows of a baseplate of a reticle carrier,
 wherein the reticle is positioned using the plurality of alignment windows of the baseplate, and 
 wherein a distance between the reticle and the baseplate is configured to satisfy a discharge rate parameter associated with the reticle; and 
 
 positioning a cover of the reticle carrier over the reticle, wherein the cover comprise a plurality of support members and a filter between the plurality of support members. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the distance between the reticle and the baseplate corresponds to a height of the plurality of support pins. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the distance between the reticle and the baseplate corresponds to a combination of a height of the plurality of support pins and a depth of a recessed region in the baseplate. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reticle is closed in an inner space between the cover and the baseplate. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cover is positioned over the reticle using the plurality of support members. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 forming a recessed region in a portion of the baseplate based on a threshold particle size to satisfy a capacitance threshold for a capacitance between the baseplate and the reticle. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein forming the baseplate comprises:
 determining the threshold particle size to prevent particles equal to or greater than the threshold particle size from being electrostatically attracted to the reticle. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of support members aligns with the plurality of alignment windows. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of support members further aligns with the plurality of support pins. 
     
     
       10. A reticle carrier, comprising:
 a baseplate comprising a first portion, having a first thickness and comprising a plurality of alignment windows, and a second portion, having a second thickness less than the first thickness; and 
 a plurality of support pins, on the plurality of alignment windows of the first portion of the baseplate, supporting a reticle,
 wherein a first distance between the reticle and the second portion of the baseplate is configured to satisfy a discharge rate parameter associated with the reticle; and 
 
 a cover comprising a plurality of support members and a filter between the plurality of support members. 
 
     
     
       11. The reticle carrier of  claim 10 , wherein a second distance between the second portion of the baseplate and a top of a support pin of the plurality of support pins is greater relative to a third distance between a third portion of the baseplate and the top of the support pin. 
     
     
       12. The reticle carrier of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of:
 the second distance is in a range of approximately 1150 microns to approximately 4000 microns, or 
 a depth of a top surface of the second portion of the baseplate, relative to a top surface of the first portion of the baseplate, is in a range of approximately 1000 microns to approximately 3500 microns. 
 
     
     
       13. The reticle carrier of  claim 10 , wherein the baseplate and the cover provide a closed inner space for the reticle. 
     
     
       14. The reticle carrier of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of support members support the cover via the reticle. 
     
     
       15. The reticle carrier of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of alignment windows are at a location in the first portion of the baseplate that assists in aligning the reticle within the reticle carrier. 
     
     
       16. The reticle carrier of  claim 10 , wherein, when the cover is provided on the baseplate, the plurality of support members aligns with the plurality of alignment windows. 
     
     
       17. The reticle carrier of  claim 16 , wherein, when the cover is provided on the baseplate, the plurality of support members further aligns with the plurality of support pins. 
     
     
       18. A reticle carrier, comprising:
 a baseplate comprising a plurality of alignment windows; and 
 a plurality of support pins, directly on the plurality of alignment windows, configured to support a reticle,
 wherein a distance between the reticle and the baseplate is further configured to satisfy a discharge rate parameter associated with the reticle; and 
 
 a cover comprising a filter and a plurality of support members surrounding the filter. 
 
     
     
       19. The reticle carrier of  claim 18 , wherein the plurality of alignment windows are at a location in the baseplate that assists in aligning the reticle within the reticle carrier. 
     
     
       20. The reticle carrier of  claim 18 , wherein the plurality of support members support the reticle while maintaining a distance between the cover and the reticle.